Means for starting internal-combustion engines



Jan. 15 1924. I 1,481,091

C. F. HEYWOOD MEANS FOR STARTING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. 27. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 15 1924. 3,481,091

c. F. HEYWOOD MEANS FOR STARTING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug.27, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 15, 124.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L, 1313.)

with the aid of fluid under pressure, havinga combustible added thereto, admitted under the control of distributing means. In this connection it has already been proposed to employ two interconnected distributors one adapted to admit an explosive mixture to one cylinder during the compression stroke and the other to simultaneously admit elastic fluid to another cylinder prior to commencement of the working stroke the effort due to expansion of theelastic fluid in the first cylinder being followed by the effort due to explosion of the elastic fluid in the second cylinder, the said distributors being set by hand so that the admission of the fluids can be made to the pair of cylinders most advantageously placed when the engine is at rest. Distributors are also known, driven from the engine, adapted to establish communication between a pair of cylinders and a source of elastic fluid intended to introduce a combustible equally thereinto, the charge in one cylinder being compressed whilst the char e in the other is doing work; Such distributor is synchronised with the engine shaft so that when the engine is at rest the distributor is ready to act as described with a pair of the cylinders. With such an arrangement however it will be obvious that the fluid admitted to the cylinder wherein the compression stroke is taking place unduly opposes the starting effort of the exploding charge. The object of the present invention is to overcome this objection and it consists in employing a distributor which whilst driven by the engine to enable starting to be efleoted in whatever position the engine may come to rest, does not simultaneously admit fluid equally to the starting cylinders but is designed to admit a relatively large quantity to one cylinder during its working stroke and smaller quantities to the one or two cylinders which will perform their working strokes next in order. The mechanism may consist of a rotary valve or of a set of ordinary mushroom valves connected to the engine to be started. But in order that the invention may be readily understood it will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which depict means suitable for a four cylinder four cycle automobile engine and which may be taken as typical.

In the said drawings, Fig. 1 is a section taken centrally through a rotary distributor according to the invention. Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1 with parts removed and parts in section. Fig. 3 is a section through a detail of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the valve disk detached. Fig. 4 is a section of one of a numbler of valves for connecting the. distributor to the engine cylin-- ders. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a liftvalve distributor and Fig. 6 is an end View thereof. Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 1 of a modification and Fig. 8 is a face View of a portion thereof, removed. Fig. 9 is a semi-diagrammatic view of an air receiver and pump arrangement suitable for use with the distributors. Fig. 10 is a similar view of a portion of Fig. 9 with parts in a different position. Figs. 11 and 11 are detail views of a modified form of Fig. 9.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, 1 is an airtight. receiver with a cover 2 into which compressed air or other gases are admitted through any convenient pipe 3 and nipple 4. At the bottom or end of the receiver four openings 5 are provided spaced at 90 degrees apart, and each of these openings corresponds and is connected one to each of the four cylinders of th engine alluded to as Nos. I, II, III and IV, in order of the cycle of operations in such cylinders each connection being by way of a tube 6 or its equivalent and preferably through a non-return valve 7 Fig. 4, which may take the'place of the customary testcock in each cylinder, the testcock 8 being placed above asshown. Cooperating with the openinirs 5 is a disc 9 driven by a spindle 10 and chain wheel 11 municatin or other convenient means, at half the speed of the main shaft of the engine. Through this disc a slot 12,-Fi 3, is cut, its length subtending an angle 0 about 60 degrees and its width being preferably the same as the diameter of the openings 5 in the bottom of the receiver 1.

No cranking is necessary to place the engine in position for starting, because the compression in one or other cylinder always brings the engine to a standstill in exactly" the best starting position for the distributor to work as soon as fluid under pressure is admitted to the receiver 1. \Vhen the disc 9 is rotated in the proper direction compressed air or gas is admitted in rotation to each cylinder during its explosion stroke, thus transforming the engine momentarily into a compressed air or compressed gas engine, not one cylinder alone, but each cylinder being in turn effective. Each non return valve'7 acts so that nothing blows back from the cylinder. The engine will continue to run as long as compressed air or gas at a proper pressure is supplied to the distributor, and if gas or combustible be supplied in the ordinary way to the engine it will fire and start off on gas, alcohol, naphtha or petroleum without in any way being disturbed or disturbing the compressed air or gas arrangement.

A valuable addition may be simply made consisting in the provision at the centre of the disc 9 of a V shaped cavity 13 comwith a passage 14 adapted to register with each of openings 5 and the associated cylinder in advance (relatively in the cycle of operations) of the one into which compressedair or gas is being conducted by the slot 12. A small pipe 15 for naphtha or hydrocarbon provided with a non-return valve 16 leads to the centre of the cover 2 ending in a finely pointed screw 17 companion to the cavity 13 in the disc 9.

This forms an adjustable naphtha or hydrocarbon vapourizer or injector, the compressed air admitted at the nipple t forming and driving the vapour into the cylinder on its compression stroke just before firing. So effective is this that it starts a cold engine instantly and it further continues working the engine as a naphtha engine even on load as long as compressed air and naphtha are supplied through the distributor without its being necessary to supply any gas through the carburettor in the ordinary way. The same results can be achieved by the modification sh own in Figs. 5 and 6.

The distributing receiver 18 is preferably of rectangular shape with the four pipes 6 or connections to the four cylindersNos. I, II. III and IV in line.

A shaft 19 rotating at half the speed of the engine opens valves 20 in succession to admit compressed air or gas from the inlet tamper pipe 3 to the cylinders each in turn during the explosion stroke. The order of the numbering I IV II III on the feed pipes and valves is intentional and is due to the crank arrangement of the main shaft of the engine and the cycle of operations in the cyl inders, being the order of the explosion in the cylinders. At the entrance to each cylinder close to the engine, a non-return valve as in Fig. 4 may be fitted although not absolutely necessary. The naphtha or equivalent injection when employed is secured by a passage system such as is indicated by dot- H ted lines in the figure. Thus a fine passage 21 drilled through the seat of the valve at No. I leads to the cylinder at No. II, similar passages lead from valve seat at No II to cylinder at No. III; from valve seat atXo. III to cylinder at No. IV, and finally from valve seat at No. IV to cylinder at No. I. Thus when cylinder No. I is on the explosion stroke, valve 20 No. I lifts off its seat admitting air or compressed gas to cylinder No. I the pressure of such air acting through passage 21 upon naphtha supplied to the system by a pipe 22 and forcing vapour into cylinder No. II on its compression stroke ready to ignite. These passages are easily drilled through the mass of the receiver. A non-return valve not shown is provided for the naphtha supply at 22. Separate independent valves may of course be used for the air and naphtha injection,'but the above arrangement has been found to give good results. To enable the drilling of the valve seat-s to be more easily done and for repairs the valve seats and the valve guides can be made separately and screwed into place from the plug holes 23 below. by withdrawing the plug 24, the whole cam shaft 19 can be withdrawn.

The naphtha or hydrocarbon injector according to Fig. 1 in conjunction with the distributor may also be employed to inject a correct starting mixture controllable by screw 17, into the engine cylinders when on their explosion stroke, the mixture being exploded with an electric spark just after the injection. With this arrangement the amount of air used is much smaller and the pressure can be much reduced; but provision must be made for the sparking to take place when the piston in operation is just past the mid position on its explosion stroke. The first explosion takes place with the engine standing still or only beginning to move; but the shock to even a large engine can be entirely controlled by adjusting the mixture by the screw 17 and by selection of the position of the piston when the spark is allowed to ignite the mixture.

For the latter purpose the means shown in Fig. 7 may be employed where a vulcanized fibre or other insulating adjustable ring 25 is fixed to the back of the distributor. On

ordinary Learner this ring four metal buttons 26, placed at 90 degrees apart andv insulated from the body of the distributor, are connected one to each sparking plug in the cylinders either directly or through a coil. Contact fingers 27 on a member 28 rotating with but insulated from the disc 9 complete the circuit through a slip ring 29 on the periphery of the insulated disc 28 and the contact terminal 30. This commutator arrangement can be made for distributing either primary or secondary current as may be preferred, but the sparking should be maintained when starting the engine as long as the circuit is complete or it should take place when the circuit is completed and not only when this contact is actually made and broken otherwise there would be no sparking when the engine was standing still and it would consequently fail to start. If the commutator be arranged for direct hi h tension distribution it may advantageously be enclosed by a fibre cover 31 to keep it clean.

Once. the engine has started and passed the first dead point the s ark can be advanced by moving the insu ating ring 25 by means of the arm or handle 32 and so increase the speed. v

Enhanced results are obtainable by the double or even treble injection of explosive mixture with distributors according to the invention which can be coupled up directly and driven to ether with the spark distributor and even the complete ignition apparatus either spark coil or magneto together with its distributing apparatus. The spark coil or magneto should be arranged to retard and advance the spark some 90 and to enable a spark to be produced even when the engine is standing still. The double or treble injection referred to is easily obtained by the modifications now about to be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 which show a'more convenient form of distributor wherein the vaporizer, since only explosive gases are used, is placed preferably outside the cover 2, and shaped asshown. The disc 9 in this example has three slots as shown in Fi 8 designated 33, 34, 35. The cylinder hl o. l on its explosion stroke has, by way of the slot 33, a large passage for the ex losive mixture to enter the cylinder; No. l on its compression stroke has a smaller as'sage by way of slot 34 and the cylinder o. Ill on its suction stroke hasanother entrance by way of slot 35 preferably smaller still.

The result is an explosive mixture under pressure in the explosion cylinder No. l and snliicient explosive mixture in the two other cylinders Nos. TV and Hi to follow.

The spark takes place in the explosion cylinder driving the engine over the dead point whereupon No. TV will ignite from the sparking arrangements close invention and No. III will follow.

around the dead point or fromthe adjustable sparking arrangement according to the Should N 0. IV cylinder fail to ignite after passing the dead point it receives the explosive mixture through the large passage thus taking the place of the 1st c linder and c linder No lll will take the p aceot' No. I It is thus impossible for the engine to fail to start if everything i in order, and the adjustment can be made perfect and permanent.

A steel bottle 20 inches long by 1 inches in diameter when filled with air at 140 lbs. pressure per square inch, will start a 20 H. P. automobile engine six or seven times, before refilling is necessary and this bottle together with a small air pump for keeping it filled can easily be carried on the chassis of a small automobile. The compressed air can also very convenientl be used for inflating the tires and blowing the horn.

To complete the starting equipment a pump may be employed with entirely automatic air control maintaining the air pressure in the air bottle at a constant pressure within very small limits, and this pressure can be re ulated entirely at Will within the working limits of the air pump. Thus in Flg. 9, 36 is a reciprocating air pump driven preferably by the engine and coupled to it by any ordinar means. A convenient size of cylinder is about 2% inches stroke and ii inches in diameter, the crank working in oil. A suction and a delivery pipe lead into the head of this cylinder each with anonreturn valve properly placed. The suction valve is shown at 37 and the delivery valve at 38, the delivery leading to the bottle or reservoir 39 and on to the engine through the starting cock or valve 40 and the distributor. 41 is a valve for closing the bottle when the car is not in use. The control is effected entirely by holding the suction valve 37 open when the pressure in the delivery pipe reaches the higher limit required, and by releasing this valve and allowing it to work normally again when the pressure is low in the delivery pipe. Thi operation is in turn efiected by a small cylinder 42 with a well fitting piston working against a spring .43 regulated by a thumb screw 44:. The piston rod extends through the Spring 43 and through the thumb screw, its end being con nected through a small link 45 to a lever 46. The opposite end of this lever works on a fixed ivot l7. 0n the same ivot 47 another ever 48 works, its opposite extremity. being fixed to a rod 4'9 which presses the suction valve of the pump inwards off its Seat when required and so stops the pump from feeding. This rod 49 is forced in or out of the valve by the spiral spring 50 stretched across the extremities of the two levers as, as.

lflO

- The cylinder 42 communicates through a small pipe 51 with the air pump delivery so that on account of a rise in the air pressure the piston has forced the lever 46 to the right as shown, the spring which previously acted to the opposite side of the centre 47 as in Fig. 10 consequently moving the rod 49 into the suction valve and holding it open.

\Vhen the pressure falls, the piston in the cylinder 42 is forced back by the spring 43 and the levers 46, 48 again assume the position shown in Fig. 10, allowing the suction valve to work normally.

By these levers and springs a quick break action on the valve is obtained which either releases it entirely or lifts it off its seat without any intermediate position.

Fig. 11 and Fig. 11 show a modification applicable to another method of effecting the control, consisting in holding the suction valve 37 firmly on its seat by the controlling piston 49 to stop the pump feeding the bottle, and releasing it for normal feed, the reverse of the first method. \Vhen the valve 37 is in an unseated position it is loosely held so that the working of the pump causes this valve to seat momentarily so that air is forced into the tank. However, when the valve 37 is rigidly held upon the seat the entrance of air to the pump is prevented, thus preventing the pump from feeding the bottle. The release of the valve is achieved by connecting the rod 49 directly to the valve proper and causing the pressure of spring 50 when the piston in the cylinder 42 occupies the position shown, to be transmitted from the lever 48 to the rod 4!) through a link 52. The said lever 48 and link 52 constitute a toggle that will not collapse under pressure of the spring 50 but which will yield and permit the valve 37 to open when the pressure in cylinder 42 advances the piston and allows the lever 48 to be displaced to decrease the force exerted by the spring 50 sufliciently for the valve 37 to open automatically again.

Of course any suitable pump can be used automatically or otherwise.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be peyformed I declare that what I claim is 1. In a device for starting internal combustion engines, means for supplying compressed fluid, means for supplying fuel, receiving means for said fluid and fuel, said last mentioned means provided with means for distributing compressed fluid to one c l inder for starting and a carburetted of fluid and fuel to another cylinder.

In a device for starting internal conibustion engines, a compressed tinid tank, a fuel tank, a device for receiving said fluid and fuel, said device ing means *"o simultaneously distributing coznpressc to one cylinder for starting and a carburetted mixture of fluid and fuel to another cylinder.

' 3. In a distributing device for starting internal combustion engines by compressed fluid, means for admitting compressed fluid, means for admitting fuel, means for receiving said fluid and fuel, said last mentioned means provided with means for distributing simultaneously compressed fluid into one cylinder for starting and a charge of carburetted mixture to another cylinder.

4. In a device for starting internal combustion engines, a distributing receptacle, means for supplying compressed fluid and fuel thereto, means in said receptacle for distributing a charge of fluid into one cylinder and for simultaneously admitting under pressure a smaller carburetted charge into another cylinder, and means for firing said charge.

5. In a device for starting internal combastion engines, a starting fluid receiver, a compressed fluid inlet to said receiver, starting fluid inlets to each cylinder, a rotary valve in the receiver for controlling the starting fluid inlets, a port in said valve permitting admission of starting fluid to the inlets of the cylinders in sequence, smaller ports in said valve permitting simultaneous admission of carburetted fluid to the inlets of the cylinders next in tiring order, and means for rotating said valve.

(3. In a device for starting internal combustion engines, a starting fluid receiver, a compressed fluid inlet to said receiver, starting fluid inlets to each cylinder, a rotary valve in the receiver for controlling the starting fluid inlets, a port in said valve permitting admission of starting fluid to the inlets of the cylinders in sequence, smaller ports in said valve permitting simultaneous admission of starting fluid to the inlets of the cylinders next in firing order, means for rotating said valve, and means for supplying fuel to the fluid admitted through the smaller ports.

7. In a device for starting internal combustion engines, a starting fluid receiver, a compressed fluid inlet to said receiver, starting fluid inlets to'cach cylinder, a rotary valve in the receiver for controlling the starting fluid inlets, a port in said valve permitting admission of starting fluid to the inlets of the cylinders in sequence, smaller ports in said valve permitting simultaneous admission of carburetted fluid to the inlets of the cylinders next in firing order, means rotating said valve, and means for rcgn- .ng the supply of fuel supplied.

8. in a device. for star-tin internal combustion engines, a starting fluid receiver, a compressed fluid inlet to said receiver, start ing thud inlets to each cylinder, a, rotary valve in the receiver for controlling the starting fluid inlets, a port in said valve to admit starting fluid to the inlets in sequence, smaller ports in said valve to permit admission of carburetted fluid to the inlets of the cylinders next in firing order, and means for rotating said valve.

9. In a device for starting internal combustion engines, a starting fluid receiver, a compressed fluid inlet to said receiver, starting fluid inlets to each cylinder, a rotary valve in the receiver for controllin the starting fluid inlets, a port in said va ve to admit starting fluid to the inlets in sequence, smaller ports in said valve to permit admission of starting fluid to the inlets of the cylinders next in firing order, means for rotating said valve and means for supplying fuel to the fluid admitted through the smaller ports.

10. In a device for starting internal combustion engines, a starting fluid receiver, a compressed fluid inlet to said receiver, starting fluid inlets to each cylinder, a rotary valve in the receiver for controlling the starting fluid inlets, a port in said valve to admit starting fluid to the inlets in sequence, smaller ports in said valve to permit admission of starting fluid to the inlets of the cylinders next in firing order, means for rotat- 3 ing said valve, means for supplying fuel to the fluid admitted through the smaller ports, and means for regulating the amount of fuel supplied. r

11. In a distributing device for starting internal combustion engines by compressed fluid, means for admitting fuel, means for admitting compressed fluid, means for receiving said fluid and fuel, said last mentioned means provided with means for distributing simultaneously compressed fluid into one cylinder for starting, and a charge of carburetted mixture into another cylinder and means for continuing to distribute such carburetted charge into each cylinder in cyclic order for running the engine;

12. In a distributing device for starting and running internal combustion engines, in

combination, a receiver, a compressed fluid inlet to said receiver, a fuel inlet to said receiver, conducting passages from said receiver to the cylinders of the engine, means for controlling said passages for the simultaneous distribution of compressed fluid into one cylinder for starting and a carburetted charge to another cylinder, and means for regulating the proportionate amount of fuel and compressed fluid in the charge.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES FREDERICK nsrwooo. 7 

